Tidal Waves
by AlessanaVargas
Summary: A/U: Rachel and Quinn meet serendipitously one night by the sea and their journey begins. Rachel is immediately intrigued by Quinn's seemingly quiet and shielded self, diving head first into the tumultuous emotional ride that is Quinn. An intense love that will have them crashing against each other like tidal waves in a storm.


**A/N: Hello! Well, since my attention span is short and I have tons of stories roaming around on my mind and I can't focus on just one... or two.. or three... I decided to let loose another idea and see what you guys think. This one is also meant to be a multichapter, totally AU. It's not beta-ed in its entirety (don't hate me Bob, I JUST finished and I needed to post it).**

 **I promise you none of the other stories have been forgotten and they are ALL being worked on, and prompts I have pending and other one shots.. There's just too many stories in my head to put them all here at once.**

 **Thank you for reading and PLEASE let me know what you think!**

* * *

It's a dark, chilly, autumn night, there's no light other than the stars and the lonely street lamp on the far end of the pier; the scent of salt water and cigarette smoke fills the environment and there's nothing but the sound of waves crashing against each other.

A woman wearing a hoodie with a jacket on top of it is sat by herself on a bench next to that lone street lamp, staring into the darkness before her, a light curtain of smoke from her cigarette coming out of her nose as she exhales.

A woman wearing sweatpants and her hair up in an obviously improvised bun is standing next to her; her hair seems to be dark brown, but then again it is late at night and maybe it is just the lack of light that makes it seem so dark. She's momentarily entranced by the patterns the smoke makes in the breeze and it's only when the smoke dissipates that she remembers what she was going to say.

"Hello"

She waits a second for a response that never comes.

"Would you mind if I sit down?"

There's certain nervousness in her voice, but not enough to make it unsteady; instead of a verbal response, the woman just scoots over to the edge of the bench, making more than enough space for another person to sit.

"Thank you. My name is Rachel, by the way."

No response, only another inhalation of the cigarette, it was the last of it apparently since the girl tosses it to the floor, exhaling the smoke, and steps on it with one foot, only to retrieve the pack from the front pocket of the hoodie making Rachel frown in obvious disgust, expression that goes apparently unnoticed since a new cigarette is being lit up; the light from the small single flame illuminates briefly the woman's features; Rachel notices pale lips matching pale skin and a small scar near the woman's eyebrow and she wonders about it. Rachel also wishes she could see the woman's eyes but the angle makes it impossible.

The light is off as another draw is taken from the new cigarette.

"You shouldn't smoke so much you know?"

The sound of the waves intensifies for a moment, making both girls look into the ocean. Another draw of the cigarette, the sound of it burning and the smell of smoke fill the air again.

"You really shouldn't smoke at all, period."

All signs of nervousness are gone and when Rachel speaks it conveys nothing but annoyance, yet the woman in the hoodie speaks no words, her lips only move to welcome the cigarette once again and to exhale grey smoke that outlines the otherwise invisible air currents; it is a hypnotizing scene, or it would be were there someone watching.

A slow and deliberate draw is taken from the cigarette, the woman has obviously heard her and this is how she is showing it; holding the smoke in for a couple of seconds and then slowly exhaling it out, the woman in the hoodie makes eye contact; between the dark of the night and the shade from the hood it's not possible for Rachel to be certain what is her real eye colour, it looks like they are dark green though and when those eyes meet Rachel's dark brown ones there's a spark of something between them. They look at each other for a minute maybe, maybe more or maybe less, time became relative at that moment, even the ocean seems to have quieted down, but the spell breaks as soon as the cigarette is put in motion again, it seems that the movement is done slowly intentionally when pale lips part slightly to welcome it, how they close around it and how it lights up when breath is taken in; at least Rachel can now confirm those eyes are green, hazel even maybe if the light is right, maybe she could even like them some other time but right then they seem to be measuring her and she has to fight off the urge to look away, it's become a challenge now though and Rachel won't back away.

The woman breathes in through her nose and slowly lets out grey smoke from her mouth.

"Why do you care?"

Her voice is raw and raspy, lower and deeper than Rachel expected it to be but there's a certain melody to it that can't go unnoticed by Rachel, even with its current aggressiveness. Still, she's never let anyone be rude to her without reason and she's not about to start now. She straightens her back and crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Excuse me?"

The woman's cigarette lights up again and as she exhales she takes off the hood with one hand, letting her choppy, short, blond hair move freely with the wind, Rachel notices it could almost appear that it reflects the light of the moon. The woman straightens her posture and moves, without breaking eye contact, until she and Rachel are face to face.

"I said 'why do you care'?"

The woman's voice is less attacking and more curious this time, softer and a little louder.

"You don't even know me, there's no reason for you to care. So, _why_ do you care?"

It's now impossible for Rachel to deny the unmistakable melody in the voice, a unique characteristic reserved for those who have sung on stage or are at least a little vocally trained - she would know, she's sort of an expert herself -, she's captivated by it and her curiosity keeps on growing, but words escape her since her mind is busy wondering about other things, about that scar, about why that voice is so melodious, about what that is the woman doing out so late and by herself, so many questions roam around Rachel's mind that she can't seem to actually formulate an answer to the question she has been asked, plus the slight aura that forms around the woman when the smoke clashes against the particles of light from the lamp above them certainly isn't helping her focus at all.

The cigarette is being lit up again and this time Rachel hears it burning, she shakes her trance off and realizes the woman has been looking directly at her the whole time; Rachel just hopes she didn't notice her hesitance.

"I – I don't. I don't care."

The woman chuckles as the smoke comes out from her mouth.

"You don't, huh?"

Rachel swallows hardly as the woman moisturizes her lips by passing her tongue through them and then bites her bottom lip, all Rachel can do is nod slowly.

"Okay then."

The woman looks away and, finally, the spell that had fallen over Rachel seems to break and she is able to find her voice again.

"You're right. I don't know you, I don't even know your name. There is no reason for me to care about you, I was just trying to be polite and point out the fact that you obviously have a problem with smoking since you can't even wait for one to be done to start with the next. It's scientifically proven to be a dangerous habit and it is also a hazard for the environment, additionally to all that it has also been demonstrated that the people that are most affected by it are the non-smokers, and since I don't smoke and I'm here next to you I'm actually just thinking about myself."

The woman looks back at Rachel, her eyes are obviously amused and she raises an eyebrow in expectation of what Rachel has got to say next.

"Besides, it smells terrible, the smell sticks everywhere and I hate it when my hair smells like cigarrette."

As soon as Rachel finishes speaking she becomes aware of how hard her heart is beating, how shallow her breaths are and how her hands are shaking; she also notices how the woman's posture has shifted and it seems challenging, measuring and calculating. She feels the impulse of moving a couple of steps back and away from the blond woman, but she won't, she can't, she has never backed away from a challenge and she isn't about to do so now, so she crosses her arms in front of her chest and waits.

Silence falls upon them, a silent challenge almost palpable in the air and all that can be heard are the sounds of the waves crashing down against the shore and crashing against each other.

Both women stay like that, staring at each other, silently trying to measure one another, for what seems to be two or three minutes in which Rachel's heart rate manages to drop down to normal and her breathing normalizes, she's starting to feel relaxed when suddenly the sound of a distant boat's horn is heard, strong and loud, breaking the peaceful silence and making Rachel jump and close her eyes in surprise. When she opens them she realizes that the woman's tense demeanor has changed entirely; those pale lips are no longer pressed tightly against each other, those green eyes no longer seem like they are trying to pierce through her and the woman's body language no longer screams aggression. After observing the woman for a couple more seconds, Rachel allows herself to relax and then she just waits to see what the woman's going to do.

To her disappointment, Rachel watches as the woman brings the cigarrette up to her mouth and how its smoke is inhalated slowly and deliberately, she senses green eyes on her at all times so she does her best not to react when smoke comes out from behind pale lips. A small smile is drawn on the blond woman's face as she raises the cigarrette once more, but before Rachel is able to say anything and much to her surprise, the cigarrette is being dropped to the ground and stomped on by a black tennis shoe.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that."

Rachel's voice is sincere as she honestly feels aliviated by the action, and she slackens on the seat a little bit.

"Well, you know, it is a disgusting habit and the smell of smoke doesn't really make it possible to enjoy the smell of the ocean, which I just happen to love, so I actually did that for myself."

There's no sarcasm or offense in the voice, its actually a playful tone and Rachel chuckles as she nods.

"Okay then, I still appreciate it."

The woman sort of smiles at her and extends her right hand for her to take.

"Hi. I'm Quinn."

Rachel takes Quinn's hand and shakes it, fully smiling this time.

"Hello, Quinn"

They let go of each other's hand and return their attention to the dark ocean in front of them.

"By the way, that was a brand new cigarrette. Which means you owe me one."

Rachel scoffs and turns her attention back to Quinn, who is still looking deep into the ocean.

"I thought you had done that for yourself, therefore, I owe you no such thing."


End file.
